The book analyses the Bologna Process as an effort to harmonise Europe’s higher education in the context of global competition. It includes original documents from intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, up to the Bergen ministerial meeting of the Bologna Process in May 2005.

This revised second edition analyzes the Bologna Process as an effort to harmonize Europe's higher education in the context of global competition. It includes original documents from inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, up to the Bergen ministerial meeting of the Bologna Process in May 2005. The political decision to create a European higher education area aims to enhance mobility between, and cooperation of, European universities. The Bologna Process started with the 1999 Bologna Declaration. Now, there are regular ministerial meetings involving nearly all European countries, both EU and non-EU members. The book does not restrict itself to Europe only. It discusses developments in Asia and the Pacific and higher education policies by global organizations, such as UNESCO, the World Bank (for the North-South divide), and the WTO, where some higher education services are covered by the General Agreement on Trade in Services.

Regionalization of higher education in Africa is the least researched topic in the field of Social Science. IN this regard, this book is a pioneer in terms of exploring both the historical and theoretical dynamics of regionalization processes within Africa. THe interplay manifested within the book between Political Science theories and higher education concepts makes the whole analysis strong and solid. THe book raises fundamental questions that focus on context and formation, operationalization and implications, and challenges and prospects of regionalization processes in Africa. IN doing so, it gives both, the analytical contexts of the evolution of higher education regionalization in Africa and the current initiatives by the African Union as a whole.

This volume of Theory and Method in Higher Education Research explores several timely topics including transnational approaches to higher education policy, universities contributions to society, data collection in higher education, virtual and blended research, and more.

The idea that developing all sectors of the educational palette is influential for socio-economic development was adopted later in Sub-Saharan Africa than in other world regions. Most efforts went primarily into developing the first stages of education, and rightly so, for many children could not access education at all. Today, all African governments recognize the importance of higher education and increasingly invest in it. They are facing two major, interlinked challenges: rapid population growth and decline in the quality of education. Indeed, despite fertility decline, the region has been confronted with substantial population growth, which will continue for many decades; as such, there is a necessity to increase investment in education. This, in a situation of limited resources, has been at the expense of the quality and the burgeoning of private institutions of higher education. The contributions here discuss the development, quality, and outcomes of higher education in Africa, with a specific focus on relations between Africa and Europe. Issues related to the mobility of African students and scholars are discussed in several national and international case studies.

In East Asia, higher education has relied heavily on private and marketized forces in its rapid development process. At the same time, state governments have introduced strong initiatives especially in upgrading the global positioning of their flagship universities through their pursuit of international competitiveness. Currently, these well-known characteristics of East Asian higher education are challenged by the necessity to formulate international dimensions for regional and global well-being, without a clear consensus as to a regional future vision. The changing roles of East Asian higher education in a new global environment have implications for academics and policy-makers who not only wish but also need to understand the most recent developments and future prospects of higher education from an East Asian point of view. In Emerging International Dimensions in East Asian Higher Education, authors from a wide variety of cultural and academic backgrounds examine the changing context of East Asian higher education in the global, regional, and national dimensions The analysis and case study material in this volume are strengthened by the wealth of contributors’ diverse national and professional backgrounds. Most have practical experience in the formulation of higher education policy in two or more countries. The range of disciplinary perspectives that contributors brought to the book – including sociology, political science, anthropology, economics, philosophy and history – strengthen the multi-disciplinary approach, credibility, and uniqueness of the work. Each chapter considers the impact of the emergence of international dimensions in East Asian Higher Education through detailed consideration of trends and debates over higher education reforms at the regional, sub-regional, inter-regional and national levels. Issues such as student mobility, cross-border higher education programs, quality assurance, and demands from the market economy, among others, are examined.

In March 2010, the European Higher Education Area was officially launched, proclaiming the culmination of a ten-year timeframe projected at Bologna in 1999, when the education ministers of 29 European states signed a declaration that would fundamentally influence the future of their higher education systems. Forty-seven countries, including all EU Member States and other countries as far afield as Kazakhstan, now take part in the so-called 'Bologna Process'. Remarkably, this vast enterprise, which has led to rapid and sweeping changes in almost all higher education systems in Europe, has taken place outside the framework of the European Union and the Council of Europe. In fact, as this important legal analysis shows, it appears that with the Bologna Process the Member States have tried to sidestep the EU's growing influence on higher education. Although the Bologna Process has generated an impressive literature addressing what it might mean, where it suddenly came from, and how it has become so powerful, until now the legal implications of the process, and its tense relationship with EU law, have been left almost entirely unexamined. This work fills that gap. Among the often controversial issues raised are the following: ; avoidance of the democratically legitimate procedures of the EU's institutional framework for cultural reasons connected with state sovereignty; the scope of EU legal competence for various kinds of activities in the educational sector; specific areas of overlap between EU law and the Bologna Process and their implications; voluntary intergovernmental cooperation as a paradigmatic global shift of internationalization policies in education; the idea that the university is being redefined, from a social institution to an industry; the increasingly influential role in the process, by means of funding and coordination, of the European Commission; financial support programmes and devices to enhance credit and degree recognition; students as recipients of services; and teachers and the free movement of workers. The author describes how the scope of the Bologna Process was significantly broadened during a series of meetings during the decade, analyses the relevance of the case law of the European Court of Justice and provides a detailed description of the adoption of the process into the national laws of France, Germany and the United Kingdom. A concluding normative assessment scrutinizes the process on the basis of democracy, transparency and accountability. As the first study of the legitimacy of Bologna from a European law perspective - and by extension of the 'Europeanization' of higher education, including the role of the EU, EU law, and law in general - this is a critically important contribution to a contentious debate that clearly holds great significance for the future of law and society. Educators and education policymakers are sure to read and study it with interest.

This book examines what challenges and opportunities globalisation is bringing to higher education, and as a consequence, how education might look in the future.

Growth in the scope, scale and importance of higher education regionalization should not be underestimated or ignored. Africa – like Asia, Europe and Latin America – is promoting deeper cooperation among higher education bodies and institutions across the continent and focusing more attention on Pan-African and sub-regional harmonization of policies and programmes. This is the first book which brings together diverse scholars and policy experts to examine key aspects and challenges of African higher education regionalization. Chapters examine the progress and prospects of core regionalization issues and strategies such as academic mobility, quality assurance, recognition of qualifications, research centres and networks, curriculum and competencies, and regional academic programmes. Other chapters discuss important themes such as the relationship between regionalization, internationalization and Africanization; historical antecedents and perspectives; an analytical model to understand functional, organizational and political approaches to Africa’s higher education regionalization; and the influence of the Bologna process on the African Union’s Strategy for the Harmonization of Higher Education Programmes. Together these chapters provide a comprehensive overview of efforts by the African Union; sub-regional higher education associations such as IUCEA, SARUA and CAMES; Pan-African organizations and actors; key research networks and centres of excellence; and the involvement – or dependence – on external actors and funders, especially from Europe. Fundamentally, the book asks the question whether higher education regionalization in Africa is more rhetoric than reality. It discusses the progress to date on specific themes; identifies historical, political, sustainability and funding challenges; and concludes that while the impacts of regionalization efforts have not been fully realized there is cautious optimism for the future.

Concerns about the quality of teaching and learning in higher education have given rise to teacher development programs and centers around the world. This book investigates the challenges and complexities of creating instructional development programs for present and future academics. Using case studies from a variety of countries including Estonia, Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom, it examines issues that are important for higher education researchers as well as higher education managers. The book includes international responses to the need to improve teaching in higher education. It demonstrates many different ways success may be understood, and investigates what factors may influence the results of instructional development. Contributors use these factors to explain program success through theoretical frameworks. This book also provides input for higher-education managers by pointing out how the local context and both institutional and national policy-making may help or hinder the effective preparation of professors for their teaching responsibilities.